The forum’s technical sessions were organized around three critical themes:
- Biotechnologies: Exploring the latest advancements and applications in biotechnology to enhance agricultural productivity, resilience, and sustainability.
- Community-Driven Innovations: Highlighting grassroots innovations and community-led initiatives that drive transformation of local and regional agrifood systems.
- Digital Agriculture: Examining the role of digital technologies, such as precision farming, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence, in revolutionizing agricultural practices and improving supply chain efficiencies.
* see event: 15/10 Harnessing data and innovation for Africa’s agrifood transformation
Below video was embedded to start with the presentation of Nobel Laureate - Michael Kremer (Economics)
Reports launched
The opening day of SIF 2024 witnessed the launch of two reports:
- the WFF Young Scientists Group (YSG) report, named Digital technologies for multi-dimensional youth engagement in agrifood systems transformation, and
- a foresight report named Shaping sustainable agrifood futures: pre-emerging and emerging technologies and innovations for impact
FAO’s Office of Innovation is working with CIRAD and other partners on an FAO Chief Scientist initiative on foresight on pre-emerging and emerging agrifood technologies and innovations, aligned with UN 2.0 and The Future of Food and Agriculture 2022: engaging all key actors of agrifood innovation systems in the foresight on pre-emerging and emerging technologies and innovations (PETIAS) to better prepare for alternative futures, feeding it into anticipatory action, and convening the global community for constructive multilateral dialogue and knowledge exchange.
- The aim is to support policymakers, investors and innovation actors in their approaches and decision making.
- The study assesses a selection of technologies and innovations, which potentially could be of paramount importance in addressing agrifood challenges until 2050, as well as the most important trends and drivers that will influence the emergence of agrifood PETIAS and their triggers of change, including some regional aspects and stakeholders' perspectives.
- The goal is also to build plausible future scenarios for the evolvement of the PETIAS and innovation process governance in the future with the time horizon of 2050 to inform future-oriented policymaking.
- The report is built with inputs from a multistakeholder Delphi survey, online and in presence workshops with experts and stakeholders, the FAO FSN Forum, as well as regional foresight exercises (Latin America and Central Asia and Caucasus).
17/10 programme
- Sowing the Future: Gene editing for agrifood systems
Related: Supporting Africa's Agricultural Future: BGI Facilitates Perennial Rice Technology Training In September, over 30 government officials and technicians from the agricultural sector in nine countries, including Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Ghana, gathered at the BGI Center in Shenzhen for a week-long training session named the “2024 Seminar for Perennial Rice Production for African Countries.” - SIF & Youth Forum: EmPOWERing Youth through innovative sustainable mechanization and digitalization / Red Room | Zoom Event
- Celebrating Local Innovations to Support Transitions to Sustainable Agrifood System: Farmer Field Schools Innovation Award / Green Room UNWebTV | Zoom Event
Laureates of the award pitched their innovations and showed the positive impacts they have had on communities. This session also gave participants a first peek into the future of Farmer Field Schools. Vincent Martin Director, Office of Innovation, FAO - Rome Water Dialogue 2024: Innovative Approaches to Agricultural Water Management / Red Room | Zoom Event
- 13.00 - 13.30 Launch of Accelerator Mentorship Programme for Women-led SMEs in Africa / Red Room | Zoom Event
- 14.00 - 15.30 Inclusive AI to drive agrifood systems transformation Green Room / UNWebTV | Zoom Event
- 14.00 - 15.30 Mindful Bites: A Shared Pathway for Inclusive Food Choices through Behavioural Science Red Room |Zoom Event
- 16.00 - 17.30 Innovate Locally, Impact Deeply: Exploring how to support community-driven innovations successfully / Green Room | Zoom Event
- 16.00 - 17.30 Rooted in Innovation: Biotech breakthroughs for climate resilience Red Room / Zoom Event
- 18.00 - 19.30 Future of Food Pitch Fest Green Room | Zoom Event
- 18.00 - 19.30 Digital Agriculture Change Makers in Action Red Room / Zoom Event
Highlight:
Launch of 3rd round of Accelerator Mentorship Programme for Women-led SMEs in Africa
- Maurizio Martina Deputy Director-General, FAO
- Abebe Haile-Gabriel Assistant Director-General, FAO
- Carlos Watson Chief, Private Sector, FAO
- Caroline Wanjiru Mambo Chief Executive Officer, Wedgehut Foods Limited, Kenya
- Elizabeth Kabakoyo Founder Glowish Agro Solutions, Uganda
Glowish Agro Solutions is a social enterprise that increase agricultural productivity through theproduction of Eco organic fertilizer from agricultural waste that have improved agricultural productivity to small scale farmers in Uganda. We collect agricultural waste, cassava remains, and also banana peelings from community/farms to a production unit where it is turned into liquid biofertilizer. Our enterprise lies in the creation of regenerative solution, committed to fostering agricultural sustainability through innovation and social impact. Our journey began with an aim of providing 100% organic fertilizer, creating a regenerative solution that not only benefits the environment but also transforms the rural communities. - Robynne Anderson
Secretary General, IAFN International Agro Food Network
"Although we only trained 500 women, at the end we benefit 500,000 people) - Zainab Lawal Gwadabe Chief Executive Officer The Seed Project Co Ltd
This session discussed how rural communities can be engaged as leaders of innovation agendas and co-developers of solutions and empowered to engage the other stakeholders necessary to operationalize and scale their solutions for more sustainable agrifood systems.
- Gabriela Quiroga Director of Strategic Partnerships, AgriCord, Belgium
- Eric von Hippel Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Gina Lucarelli Team leader, Accelerator Lab Network, UNDP
See PAEPARD blogpost Timbuctoo : Linking agricultural innovation to start-up accelerators
- Astou Camara
Director, BAME/ISRA, Senegal
Santés & Territoires : La santé comme levier de développement dans le cadre de la transition agroécologique, living labs (Sénégal, Bénin, Laos et Cambodge.)
Co-financé par l’AFD et l’Union Européenne (programme DeSIRA) et doté d’un budget de 6 millions d’euros (2021 - 2026) - Boniface Gomes Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD)
- Gissela Davila Cobo Director general, CIESPAL - Centro Internacional de Estudios Superiores de Comunicación para América Latina, Ecuador
- Isaac Muhofa Senior Venture Builder ROOTICAL, Uganda
Example Garden Fresh: Annet Dianah Nannono: Garden Fresh develops natural solutions to extend shelf life in fruits and vegetables, in order to replace the use of harmful agrochemicals. Garden Fresh provides a solution to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by developing natural alternatives that prevent rotting and slow the ripening process. - Nzwaki Adonisi Moderator Impact Network Coordinator & Innovative Finance Specialist, WAI - Women in Africa Investments Group South Africa
WAI (2024) WAI Group Impact Report - Women in African Investments # 51 pages
Women in African Investments Group (WAI Group), founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Howard, is a network of over 250 senior female investment professionals and ecosystem builders who are shaping the investment industry in Africa. - backing investment models that are designed by and for women in Africa. - Srinivas Mangipudi Artist Director Arts & Applications, Socratus Collective Wisdom Corporation
- Aurelie Toillier Moderator for interactive part Scientist in Agricultural Innovation Systems, OIN, FAO
- 09.00 - 10.30 From Start-up to Scale: Pathways to #zerohunger / Green Room | Zoom Event
- 09.00 - 10.30 Inclusive Agrifood Systems Innovation: From Ideas to Impact / Red Room UNWebTV | Zoom Event
Two innovation stories and their pathways to scale were illustrated
- Hlami Ngwenya Moderator GFRAS
- Adesuwa Ifedi Senior Vice President of Heifer Africa
- Iddo Dror Programme Leader Impact at Scale Team, CGIAR
- Isabel Guerrero Director, IMAGO Global Grassroots
- Ivan Stefanic Programme Manager for food chain technologies, novel & sustainable food, EISMEA
- Juan Moreno Director, Procasur Megha Desai Senior Coordinator, Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Mohamed Manssouri Director of Investment Center, FAO
- Paul Harrison Director, Office of Agricultural Policy, Bureau of economic and business affairs, US Department of State
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